70yr old hope chest, toybox now shoe storage and bench

My grandfather thought this was made by my great grandfather along with a cradle, crib and armiore for my aunt 70 yrs ago. I had wanted the armiore also the only other piece that was still around but one of my uncles shot it away before I could get it. There are no markings or stamps on this so I am pretty sure he was right.

This was my aunts (my fathers only sister) hope chest the top is long gone. I never remember the top being on it. There are holes in the back where a top once was. This was also a place were it held all my aunts old shoes and purses and jewelry when me and my cousins were younger, the armiore held all her dresses that we used to play dress up with. Makayla still has some of the stuff she is saving it all her life she says.

Later it became a toy box for my kids toys that were at my grandparents house. Just about 9 years ago after my grandma passed my grandfather told me to bring it home he had something else to put the kids toys in there.

When it came to my house it held Kenny's massive collection of GI Joes until a couple of years ago when he gave them up except for a couple to his little cousin. Then it was in the girls closet holding shoes, purses, bags, and what ever.

Now it has become something else
Here it is the box I don't want to get rid of but tired of it doing hiding things on these girls
The area where shoes are kept at the bottom of the stairs someone is going to kill themselves coming down the stairs. Most likely me in the wee hours of the morning Funny thing is it looks much better than it normally does

This little table thing has been here since we moved in and I hate it. When this picture was taken it wasn't cluttered like it normally is only a couple of things that shouldn't be on it is. This is where everything gets put that is supposed to go upstairs

I spraypainted the chest black took the legs off it, I tried to save them to put on the top but I broke them all so that didn't work. I put casters on the bottom made a cushion to stick on top and made and added pillows and now I love it because shoes are in the bottom. Kenny especially loves this because he has a place to sit to put his shoes on.

A much needed challenge for me

Right now I have so many things that I have started and not finished I really need to get them done. A lot of them are sitting on my kitchen table that I have been trying to reclaim to use as a table for about a month now so I think that is where I am starting. I have something going on for the bottom of my stairs that is just about done but not done yet so I need to finish that up

I am challenging myself to get these many things I have started and not finished done by the end of this week.

I have today off of work and have alot of house work todo but first I have to get this other stuff done too. So off I go to get some of these things done and clean while doing so.

Just thoughts from worn out me

What have I been doing is working and working and working. I finally have a day off today. Six days straight of up at 3 am to be to work. With my dad having to go in for emerency surgery last Week I ended up working Saturday so I wouldn't loose any hours.

As I sit here at 6 something in the morning trying to figure out what we are going todo today when temps are going to be 100 and heat index much higher, am I going to take the kids to my brothers house to spend the day in the pool or am I going to take them down to camp to swim in the pond where it will be about 10 degrees cooler, or are we just going to stay in the house.

Almost time to wake David up for summer school. Yes my son that had an overall average of 98.5 all of this past year is in summer school. He hates it but with the ADD/ODD, slight mental retardation and the autism it keeps him on a schedule and unlike regular summer school it is fun they are always doing something like cooking, which one day they go buy their supplies for the cooking, they go swimming once or twice a week, go to the movies, the zoo, learn to take the centro bus (although this is not something he needs to learn he can not wait to get his license in a couple of years so he can really drive on the roads and not just down at camp) Oh and another thing that he doesn't need they teach him is life skills, he does have a mom for that and he knows them all. This kid makes me so proud that we have worked for the past 12 years of finding out all his problems to today where he is and how wonderful and smart he has become, except for the normal teenage stuff he is an awsome kid.

Also as I sit here waiting for Miss Makayla's softball uniform to finish washing and drying for her 9 am game today, I think of just a couple of months ago when my princess was the biggest brat in the world. Every year is still a different stage with her and I'm loving 12 shes quiet and not so many break downs 11 was terrible. This kid amazes me. She is my shy little one that has had a rough few months, although she often talks about her Mr. Richardson and visits his wife everytime we go to my mom's house she is takeing his death a little better. After his accident she lost a best friend, some one that thought the world of her and her him. Now with round 2 of softball going on I love watching her do something that she loves todo and starting next week will be the second thing that she loves todo CHEER. UGGGHHH there goes my life with practices 5 nights a week and games everyweek. But I would never change it

Kenny oh Kenny what can I say about my nut case son. He too has gone thru a lot this year. With the death of Mr Richardson whom he was also very close too. Also being a new teen this year but a very mature one. He has a lot on his plate one of his best friends is and has been battleing cancer for the past few years, Kenny has proven over and over again he is a friend that will not let his friend give up. He has yelled at him, cried with him, cheered with him and just been there for him in his worst times. All with being a kid with his other friends also, working out 5 days a week to stay in shape so when his true love FOOTBALL comes around next week he won't be out of shape and hurt. Once again UGGGHHH there goes my life wih practices 5 nights a week and games everyweek. Once again I would never change it.

Maranda oh wow what can I say about my sweet, to intellgant for her own good daughter. She is now studying hard to get her permit. Working hard in some classes in school others just bore her to death because she knows it all. She has made a decission that she is going to NYC for college in two years. My baby wants to go to downtown Manhatten for college. I am scared to death for her todo this but it is the best fornisic biology college there is. Well actually only one of the two in the US that focuses on the Biology part of it more than the criminal justice part of it. The other is Arizona State but for some reason she doesn't want to go there. We have family in New Mexico she would be closer too but nope has her heart set on NYC. I think alot of it has todo with her love of NYC. But now we need to teach her some street smarts because those she does not have

Cabinet and Chair

First I have to say Happy 3rd birthday to the prettiest little princess I know my niece Emma Oh how I love this little girl probley even more than I love her daddy (whom is the brother that I have always been closest too.)
Happy Birthday my love

My chair I bought for 10.00 at a garage sale really needs to be redone I dont want to take the wrap off until I am ready to tackle this project, The chair I think will be used in the girls room would be perfect with an old vanity of my great grandmothers if I could get my mom to give it up

The pine corner cabinet I bought for 15.00 at the same sale is now in the process of being sanded down

Starting doll clothes for my niece and I think I have an idea

Here is the first almost finished dress for my Miss Emma's clotheing for her cabbage patch doll I just need to find my velcro that I know is somewhere on the not seen kitchen table which is full of started crafts that need to be finished today. Hopeing to get them finished to reclaim the kitchen table.

This weekend my nefhew Caleb gave a request his friend has a car play mat that has houses and buildings that you can drive your cars into. The buildings stick to the mat with this white stuff (hmm Caleb its called Velcro) Aunt Kimmy do you think that you can make me one of those. Yes Caleb anything you ask of me I can try to make for you. He does have a birthday coming up at the end of August. I am thinking of useing these boxes as the base of the houses with some felt, oh I am sure some more boxes too will be used so that he has a varity of houses and buildings.

Just radom photos from our 4th of July day at camp on Sunday

Makayla, Kali and their friend Tasha figuring out different ways to jump into the pond

The girls wanted a picture of them jumping into the pond

This was the first time getting them jumping didn't work out so well

Good ole dad we thank him all the time for remembering that his kids and grandkids needed the private camp to have fun everyyear. He bought this property 25 years ago because this is where he always went and wanted the same thing for his kids and grandkids

Kali and Tasha making sure that the huge water snake that has been seen lately is not around so they can swim

My nefhew Caleb(in Life jacket) getting ready to ride in the peddle boat which is the favorite thing todo in the water

Mom in the green and my SIL's mom Cathy

Miss Emma with her mom Cathrine , Nanny Kathy and her big papa (great grandfather)

Little Miss Emma playing with Randa

2 of my favorite people Miss Emma and her daddy my brother Kenny

Good ole Dad again with SIL's stepdad Pete they were getting ready to see what the kids did to the golf cart they blew a belt on it

My SIL Shanon she wasn't going to get her feet dirty for nothing and that bald guy in the back is my Uncle Bill our favorite uncle he makes the best chocolate chip cookies in the world

Another of my Miss Emma stealing a chair that was just her size

Caleb playing with Bear

Miss Emma takeing break after hitting my Kenny in the face with the ball

Kenny and Miss Emma playing ball I love that my teenager can still play with his two year old cousin

My mommy again

Randa how she now enjoys camp no more catching frogs and swimming in the pond for her She is 16 and has spent the past 16 summer at camp she loves it.

Kids chillin on the peddle boat

Guess the kids wante a picture of the other side of part of the pond also

More chillin on the peddle boat it is really neat to watch the fish from the peddle boat this was taken at the other end of camp where the pond gets bigger and deeper only way they are allowed on this side is the peddle boat

Makayla sitting on the jumping rocks Grandpa made for the kids

No one will admitt to taking a picture of me because I would have kicked their butt I hate my picture taken

Same three kids on peddle boat again I think they hogged it all day, nope they all shared equally